Ahmadinejad Warns Opposition Ahead of Election Anniversary

guardian.co.uk

President insists vote was '100% free' and criticises 'barbaric' Israeli raid on Gaza flotilla, at Khomeini commemoration

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today warned the Iranian opposition against straying from the path of the founder of the Islamic revolution, and criticised Israel for its deadly raid this week on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

The president addressed hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in southern Tehran for a ceremony marking his death 21 years ago. The Khomeini-led Islamic revolution toppled the US-backed shah and brought hardline Islamists to power in 1979.

"Those who deviate from the imam's path will be banished by the people," Ahmadinejad said.

His warning came days ahead of a mass rally planned by the opposition for the anniversary of last June's disputed presidential election. The rally will be the first opposition gathering in months and authorities have warned they will confront any unauthorised demonstrations.

The opposition claims Ahmadinejad won the election through massive vote fraud. It protested for months against the election result but was met by a heavy government crackdown, which the opposition says has killed 80 people so far. More than 100 opposition figures and activists have been put on trial and 80 of them were sentenced to death or given prison terms ranging from six months to 15 years.

Ahmadinejad reiterated today that the election was "100% free" and said he was "bound by duty to protect the people's vote".

He said Israel's commando raid on the international flotilla off Gaza was "barbaric", and urged the dismantling of the "Zionist regime".

"They have lost their self-control and ability to think," he said. "Thousands of such freedom flotillas across the world will sail out with freedom fighters, to scrap the Zionist rule and bring peace and freedom to all mankind."

Iran's supreme leader and Khomeini's successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the raid was a "mistake" that "showed how barbaric the Zionists are".

Khamenei also indirectly criticised opposition leaders, saying that some who revered Khomeini now "speak differently" to before. He warned the opposition to examine carefully what he called support that came from "foreign enemies of Iran, enemies of the imam".

Khomeini's grandson Hassan's speech was repeatedly interrupted by anti-opposition chants from Ahmadinejad supporters in protest at his perceived support for opposition leaders. He left the podium before finishing.

"The dignity of the anniversary does not deserve what this small group is doing," he said. The semi-official Ilna news agency said other Khomeini relatives who attended the ceremony left in protest.

State television carried the ceremony live, reporting that it was attended by 2 million people, including more than 700,000 who were bussed in from various provinces.